Summaries from ToAD 2015

I know this has been way too long, but instead of deleting a good draft, I’m going to highlight two events that stood out to me from my ToAD experience from 2015.

Schlitz Park Criterium

Absolute sufferfest. Arriving the night before, having 5 hours of travel in one’s legs, and then trying to acclimate to the humid
Milwaukee summers was not feasible for me. The course has a hard 2-block climb, then a flat section that gives no recovery at all, then a technical downhill section with numerous corners and potholes to deal with, and a short 100 m dash sprint to the finish…AND of course it’s a very short course meaning that you have to endure the suffering over and over again.

Elkhart Lake Road Race at Road America

I loved this course! It reminded me a lot of racing at the Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway we have in Monterey, CA. In my opinion, the organizers should change the name of this race to say “circuit” not Road Race. The course is 4.4 miles long and we didn’t even breach 50 miles for our total distance. Right from the start, the course is on a false flat with a slight descend. After one gradual turn came two rather rough turns which left many riders hitting their brakes as the peloton shape would accordion in and out of these sharp turns. What I liked most about this course was the ease with which I was able to move around. Many riders struggled with the swooping turns and hillclimb to the finish. Actually, that’s were I excelled and it showed with a solid 9th place finish.

If I can fit ToAD into my schedule this year, I’ll totally plan on racing in Wisconsin again. Great racing fields, fast courses, excited crowds, and lots of Midwest niceness to absorb while at ToAD!

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Published by hannamuegge

I am a recent graduate of the Monterey Institute of International Studies (A Graduate School of Middlebury College) in Monterey, California (USA), but home for me is in many places across the globe. Originally from Germany, I have spent the last eleven years in the US and have continued in my parents’ footsteps of having a passion for traveling and exploring new places. Besides indulging in multicultural exchanges, I am an avid cyclist & runner, love to experiment with new recipes in the kitchen, and take pleasure in capturing everyday moments with the click of my camera.
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